Perspectives

(092112)

DNA and Information

Questions:

What
characterizes DNA (as information found
in chromosomes which contain the genetic
information or genome) in cells and
all living organisms that speaks to
origins?

How
did the information contained in the
DNA get into the DNA in the first place?

Is there any evidence that new information
is today finding its way into extant
(present) DNA sequences?

Is
it possible that times scientists are
merely observing new expression of information
already present within a genome? [This
makes for the perception of the addition
of new information but does not reveal
how or when the information was put
into the genome]

Short
Answer:

The
basic starting point: DNA is a chemical.
The DNA molecule's arrangement or sequence
of chemical subunits is the basis for
holding a code and this in turn is what
contains information. DNA molecules in
part make up the structures we call chromosomes.
All the information for an entire organism,
contained in the chromosomes, is called
the genome. Information in the genome
directs—by way of mechanistic material
processes—the physical construction
of what we are in bodily form.

Taking
a moment to consider what is the cause
of life's information is instructive.
For example: "The efficient
cause of something is that by
which it comes to be. The instrumental
cause is that through which it comes to be. And the material
cause is that out of which it is made. Now material and instrumental causes do not necessarily resemble their
effects but efficient causes do. For example, the painting does
not resemble the artist's paint brush,
but it does resemble the artist's mind.
The reason is because the brush is only
the instrumental cause, whereas the artist
is the efficient cause." (quotation
from Geisler
& Saleeb, page 138, see our booklist
reference to their book: Answering
Islam). When we think of DNA, we may
find ourselves focusing on the material and instrumental and not the efficient cause of information. Biologists often
explain the result of genetic information
in terms of regulating protein production
which is more like the painting and not
the artist's mind! Here the view is narrowed
to the material and instrumental. But
there is more to consider!

More
than making biological structures, biological information channels the
flow of materials and energy
throughout our life span. Aside from making
the components of cell, tissue, and body
structures (for example, by making protein
molecules), information embodies the 'plan' or 'blueprint' that establishes
how life's unique organisms
are to be assembled and function. Yet
no one has identified where this information
comes from.

The often cited cause
is that mutations — externally caused chance alterations in the genetic
code — make for change and thus cause new information. And earlier we
addressed this from a probabilistic
perspective. That potentially explains some slow appearance and genomic
changes over time. Certainly, with events where life forms appear rapidly,
there must also be a rapid delivery of information. There is no mechanistic
model, computer or otherwise, that comes close to telling us how all that
information was created and captured in life systems — which
has us reflect back on what is the efficient cause. No one seems
to be doing that directly, but scientists talk around
the problem perhaps in hopes that some bright light will one day
illuminate a material-based answer. That approach would be consistent with
the standard evolution theory based on a random process and natural selection.
But the material evidence reveals remarkable differences in the information
base held by various organisms ...

Although
humans have 30 times the DNA of
some insects, there are insects
that have more than double the
DNA in humans. The amount of DNA
is not a reliable measure of complexity
because not all the DNA may have
to do with complexity; part of
a genome may be just many repeats
of the same section. Spetner (NBC) Page 28

The trend in science
is generally to document what's there. The Human Genome Project essentially
is a large cataloging of genetic information. From that new drugs or therapies
may come, but all this is based on understanding what is contained within
that base of information, not what brought it into existence. And tomorrow
the sequences of information in the human genome will certainly bring us incredible
surprises. Also, be aware, so much of what was initially cataloged appeared to be a large
reservoir of nonsense or 'junk DNA.' This DNA is also called non-coding DNA. In recent years, researchers are finding more and more that 'junk DNA' is not functionless. In fact, what was once called the leftover product of prior evolution (thus a byproduct with no function) we see important roles, increased complexity and functional sequences of DNA code.

To date, science continues to create
catalogs for the DNA in many biological species to document what is there ... BUT not yet discovering how all that
information might have been pulled together in the first place. Yes, we know,
the assumption as always is evolution did it. Well, what science will say
tomorrow may bring some clarity on that, but will clarity be couched in terms
of evolution or will the discoveries continue to pull back the shutters to
reveal an entirely new view!

Take a look at a few
interesting points and see what the window now offers for our consideration
...

We
suggested in 1984 that the origin-of-life
problem is fundamentally a problem
of information, but this perception
is not unique to us. In his Information
And The Origin Of Life (1990)
Bernd-Olaf Kuppers says, "The
problem of the origin of life
is clearly basically equivalent
to the problem of the origin of
biological information." Bradley
and Thaxton (CH) Page 190

Bradley and Thaxton
recall that information theory starts with the
work of Claude Shannon and fellow engineers as the Bell Telephone Laboratories
in the 1940's. This work measures information by mathematics, but the concept
is also applicable to human language, Morse-code based messages, and the genetic
transmission of information. In the case of genetics the messages are coded
in the base sequences (the nucleic acid units of DNA) that serve like letters
in an alphabet that makes written (recorded) language possible.

This structural identity is the
basis for the application of information
theory to biology. As Hubert P.
Yockey notes in the Journal Of
Theoretical Biology, "The sequence
hypothesis applies directly to the
protein and the genetic text as
well as to written language and
therefore the treatment is mathematically
identical." Bradley and Thaxton (CH) Page 205

Now the existence of
information, its structure, and transmission can be expressed not only in
terms of passing along a message but also can be characterized in terms of
a source for an origin.

This development
is highly significant for the modern origin-of-life discussion and
is an observation in the present that proponents of an intelligent
origin of life use as a key to the past. In the case of written messages, we have experience that they have an intelligent cause. We use analogical
reasoning to conclude that the remarkable information sequences in
DNA also had an intelligent source. On the basis of analogy, then,
we infer an agent with intelligence that is similar to human intelligence. Since DNA is an essential molecular component of every form of life
we know, we likewise conclude that life on earth had an intelligent
cause. Bradley and Thaxton
(CH) Page 206

And remember time and
context ... the cell diagram below is as about as sophisticated a view on
cellular complexity that humanity had just past Darwin's time. And that view
had very little to show for knowing exactly to what extent a single cell contained
information. Years later we'd be shocked to learn that all the information
in the entire genetic code was held within each cell of an entire organism—millions
and trillions of copies—even when the cells themselves differed in structure
and function. The presence of information is a common denominator throughout
all biological life forms. We expand on this remarkable information system
in the 'Consider This' section in Part 2 (see
link below).

A most significant text that is a must read for all readers. Follow the scientific explorations and the conclusions that tell why DNA is more than a molecule, but IS information by design and beyond mere chance product of an abiotic origin. Read the book for yourself (to consider obtaining a copy click on the image below):

We recommend watching the following video from yet another source that addresses the complexity of information in DNA. Click on the play button below to watch this video here!

Your browser does not support the HTML5 video feature.

The original source is found at the web site on Programming of Life. Their site provides the video in Flash format ... and we provide viewing of the HTML version for our WindowView visitors!

Consider This - Feature Article Part 2

Remarkable
Dimensions to Life's Information Storage,
etc..

Generally, at this
point in our feature articles we follow with a more detailed discussion. In
this case, the 'Consider This' portion is a bit
longer than typically found in other articles. So, to access this special
'Consider This' section ... simply click
here!

Excerpts
and links to Feature Articles:

Traditional approaches
that fail to take account of new findings in molecular cell biology cannot
survive the present day. Materialistic explanations for the origin of information
have been systematically eliminated over the past forty years. Has origin-of-life
research brought us to the brink of a new scientific revolution?:
- Dr.
Stephen Meyer on DNA and Information

Quotations
from "The Creation Hypothesis"
(CH) edited by J. P. Moreland are used
by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O.
Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com
All rights reserved. No portion of this
material may be used without permission
from InterVarsity Press.

Quotations
from "Not By Chance" (NBC) written
by L. Spetner, are used by permission
granted by Dr. Lee Spetner.

Writer / Editor: Dr. T. Peterson, Director,
WindowView.org

(062213)

For a general listing of books, visit the WindowView Book Page for: Science and Scripture .

References of Interest

Step Up To Life

Time spent looking ... through a window on life and choice ... brings the opportunity to see in a new light. The offer for you to Step Up To Life is presented on many of the web pages at WindowView. Without further explanation we offer you the steps here ... knowing that depending on what you have seen or may yet explore in the window ... these steps will be the most important of your life ...